Richie had never been the type to show excitement, but when he talked about the news, he couldn’t stop clapping, grinning as he walked around the bed to the other side.

“In just seven days, it’s our wedding. That’s when I’ll announce this amazing news to everyone. These two happy events… they’re the best things that have ever happened in my life!”

Hearing his words, my heart suddenly skipped a beat. The doctor’s words from when Esther nearly drowned me in the pool came back to haunt me, crystal clear.

Ritchie had dragged me across the world, searching for a cure, but no matter where we went, we got the same answer.

I would never be able to get pregnant.

Because of that, his family’s resentment toward me only grew. Time after time, they’d throw dirty looks my way, making it painfully clear I didn’t belong. They hoped I’d give up and leave on my own.

Ritchie wouldn’t let it slide—not once. He stood up for me every single time, even if it meant butting heads with his family.

“Our family isn’t some royal family. We’re not passing down a crown. Portia choosing to stay by my side is the greatest blessing this family has ever had. If anyone dares bring this up again, you can either take your name off the family registry—or take mine off instead!”

Thinking about it now, I stared at my flat belly, feeling like something was stuck in my throat. I couldn’t wrap my head around how life could be this cruel, and before I knew it, tears started streaming down my face.

Why did this baby have to come now?

Ritchie walked over, pulling me into his arms. The smell of milk clung to him—sharp enough to make me nauseous.

I pushed him away on instinct, and my stomach churned violently. The nausea was unstoppable.

He stepped back quickly, cupping his hands in front of me like he could catch whatever I couldn’t hold down.

“Portia, if you’re feeling sick, just let it out. Morning sickness is normal during the first few weeks. I’ll stay here with you the whole time.”

I looked at him—at the worry etched into his face, the shoes and supplies he’d prepared, all waiting neatly on the side—and I was a little dazed for a while.

To him, I’d always been special. For five years, I’d been his one and only exception.

He’d loved me completely since day one. And I’d loved him just as much.

It didn’t take long for me to calm down. When I stared at the man in front of me, my expression was blank.

If he’d just cut ties with his other woman and their child, maybe we could start over—me, him, and our baby.

We could go back to the way things were, back to the way they’d been for the past five years.

But before I could say a word, his phone rang. His face shifted immediately—panic flashing across it as he scrambled to his feet and left.

He said he’d been disappearing a lot the past two days because of company issues.

He wasn’t even gone for 20 minutes when Esther sent me a photo so casually. It was of Ritchie carefully holding a child.

In the picture, he had his head pressed against the kid’s, gently coaxing him to sleep.

I gripped my phone so tightly it hurt, forcing myself not to cry, clinging to the last shred of dignity I had left. But no matter how hard I tried, the bitterness and heartache surged.

This stupid, foolish dream of mine…

It was shattered. Completely.

I don’t know how long it took, but when I finally pulled myself together, I opened the confirmation letter for the plane crash incident. Without a second thought, I signed it again.

I knew Ritchie too well. He wouldn’t agree to a divorce. He wouldn’t let me go, not willingly.

If anything, he’d double down—trap me here, chain me to him, and never let me escape.

After signing the letter, I booked an appointment at a private hospital back in my hometown for an abortion.

While I was calling to confirm the appointment, Esther started flooding my phone with videos—one after the other.

The videos showed a side of Ritchie I’d never seen before. He was like an animal—completely wild, nothing like the gentle, restrained man I thought I knew.

They were in every corner of his company and even at a villa...

Every frame of the video felt like a dagger to my heart, yet I forced myself to endure the pain and watch it all.

“Hello? Do you still want to book this surgery?”

Snapping back to reality, I realized my hands were trembling so much I could barely hold my phone steady.

My voice came out hoarse when I spoke. “Yes, as soon as possible.”

After arranging everything, I collapsed onto the bed, utterly drained. Tears flowed uncontrollably as if they would never stop.

I curled up tightly, wrapping my arms around myself, letting the suffocating darkness swallow me whole.

Ritchie didn’t come home until almost dawn.

This was the first time in five years he hadn’t returned for the night.

A few flakes of snow clung to his hair as he burst in like an excited child, carrying a food box.

“Portia, I went out overnight to get your favorite pastries. A happy mood is the most important thing for a pregnant mommy! Try them and see if they taste just like before!”

He eagerly unpacked the box, muttering to himself as he worked.

“I closed a new deal yesterday, got a whole island! Since you love pink lychees, I’ll plant the entire island with them—your very own pink lychee paradise!”

He held the pastries like precious treasures and placed them in front of me, only to realize I hadn’t said a single word since he entered.

When he saw my tear-streaked face and my swollen, red eyes, his expression tightened, and his voice trembled.

“Portia, why… Why are you crying like this? Did someone upset you?”

I laughed, curling my lips into a faint smile as I avoided his touch. “You know that pregnant women need to stay in a good mood, right? Then you should also know that crying is normal, too.”

He let out a breath of relief. “It’s my fault for not being considerate enough. I’ll stay home with you for the next few days, okay? I won’t go to the office.”

“If you want anything,” he added, “I’ll have it delivered. If you’re craving something, I’ll make it myself.”

I shook my head calmly. “I didn’t sleep well last night. I just want to get some rest now.”

I also informed him, “Oh, by the way, a relative back home is sick, so I’ll be going back to visit tomorrow. You can go about your work; don’t worry about me.”

Turning away from him, I faced the other side. Once everything was settled and I left, I wouldn’t come back. Before that, I thought I should see them one last time, as a way of bidding farewell to the past.

Ritchie couldn’t bear to leave me alone and insisted on accompanying me, despite my repeated refusals.

Not far from my hometown, relatives were already waiting on the roadside to greet us.

When they saw me and Ritchie together, their smiles stretched wide.

“I told you! If Portia came back, Ritchie would definitely come with her! He treats her like a treasure—he’s afraid to drop her if he holds her too tight, and afraid she’ll melt if he spoils her too much. There’s no way he’d let her come back alone!”

Ritchie responded politely, handing out gifts he had prepared to everyone.

Some relatives who recognized the items couldn’t help but exclaim, “These are the best health supplements you can find! Every time they visit, they bring such expensive gifts—it’s almost embarrassing!”

“Oh, Portia, you’re so lucky! Born in this poor, remote village, but you found someone who adores you to the bone!”

“Exactly! Most of our income over the years has been thanks to this girl's luck!”

As they continued their flattery, a long luxury car pulled up in front of everyone.

Esther stepped out, exuding arrogance. With a wave of her hand, the bodyguards behind her began distributing gifts to everyone.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me about this reunion? A few years ago, when I was down and out, you all helped me. Doesn’t that make me like a family member too?”

The gift Esther brought was exactly the same as Ritchie’s.

She glanced at the gifts in everyone’s hands and let out a laugh.

“Honestly, the brand you’re holding? I created it!”

Her voice was full of pride. “A few years back, my family hit rock bottom, but I got lucky. Someone important stepped in and helped me get back on my feet. He worked day and night to push me up to where I am now. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy.”

As she spoke, her eyes deliberately flicked to the man standing beside me.

So that’s what Ritchie had been doing during those sleepless nights, claiming he was expanding overseas markets—helping Esther rebuild her empire.

She strutted over to me, her heels clicking loudly against the floor. She clicked her tongue, her tone mockingly sweet.

“Portia, you’ve got such an incredible husband, but after all these years, you’re still stuck here. I just don’t get it.”

“Clothes really do make the person, don’t they? I still remember the first time I saw you—you were just some scrappy little girl who looked like she didn’t belong anywhere.”

Her eyes swept over me with disgust. But before she could walk away, I slapped her. Hard.

“If you know Ritchie is my husband, then who the hell gave you the nerve to act like this in front of me?”

Esther clutched her face, furious. Her eyes darted toward Ritchie, looking stunned for a moment before storming inside.

It was the first time I’d ever lost my cool in front of so many people. Ritchie stared at me in shock, his hand lifting as if to touch me.

I took a step back, putting space between us. “I’m not feeling great. I’ll head inside to rest for a bit.”

I heard footsteps behind me and turned to meet his confused gaze.

“If you’ve got things to do, go ahead. You don’t have to wait for me.”

The second I stepped into the house, Esther grabbed my wrist. Her eyes were bloodshot, her teeth clenched tightly.

“Don’t think slapping me in front of everyone makes you better than me. In Ritchie’s eyes, you’ll never measure up. Do you even know how much he loves our son?”

She sneered, then pulled out her phone. Right in front of me, she called him and turned the volume up. She wanted me to hear every word.

The second the call connected, her enraged expression disappeared, replaced with a soft, helpless voice.

“Ritchie, the nanny just called. Rocky is sick. Can you go check on him? My face is still swollen from earlier… I’m afraid I’ll scare him…”

Ritchie’s voice was anxious. “Don’t worry, I’ll head there right now.”

Esther smirked, tilting her chin up like she’d won some sort of prize, and walked off. I stood there, feeling this strange emptiness I couldn’t explain. Grabbing my phone, I quickly called Ritchie.

His voice, barely hiding his impatience, came through. “There’s an urgent matter at the company. I have to take care of it. You can grab a cab home, or I’ll send someone to pick you up.”

The call ended before I could respond. My heart felt hollow. Without thinking, I hurried after Esther outside.

There he was—Ritchie—gently cupping her face, his eyes filled with worry as he softly blew on her cheek.

It was as if I were the villain breaking up a perfect couple like them.

Watching them being sweet, I couldn’t help but pick up my phone again. I clenched my fists tightly, forcing my voice to remain steady.

“Ritchie, I’m not feeling well. If you’re still around, could you come get me?”

I saw them pause, just briefly, before Ritchie’s exasperated voice came through.

“Baby, I really have something urgent at the office. Be good and wait for me there, okay? I’ll come get you as soon as I’m done.”

The call ended again. Ritchie’s gaze flickered nervously like he was second-guessing something. For a moment, he looked conflicted.

But in the end, he got in the car and left.

I watched the car disappear in the distance, my legs stumbling backward as if they had a mind of their own.

Just when I thought I could catch my breath, a sudden, brutal force yanked my arm and threw me into the dry well in the yard. The cover slammed shut above me.

The sound of my bones cracking was sickening. Pain shot through me as cuts and bruises covered every inch of my body. Before I could even process what was happening, a warm stream spread beneath me, draining the last bit of strength from my body. Soon, my mind faded into darkness…